Zoanthids disappearing

[Kim]

About a month ago now I picked up some orange zoanthids. I really love them. They are in a 10 gallon tank with a 96W powerquad light.

Well they are slowly disappearing. I mean gone entirely. I think something is eating them. At first I thought it was my emerald crab but he's been in the sump now for a week and I lost another polyp today.

They get smaller and smaller over about 2 days and then gone. I do have a large hermit crab in there. I've had him a year, although I have never seen him pick at anything he wasn't supposed to, could he eat them at night?

I've looked carefully for sundial snails but I haven't seen any. I have also looked for those zoa eating nudi's and I dont see them either. How easy are those 2 critters to see with your naked eye while the zoanthids are still in the tank?

Besides a monti digi that is in the tank and doing well, the zoanthids are the only other coral. If if it matters the remaining polyps always look good and open. Just the one that eventually disappears closes up before its gone.

If they are nudis or snails is it my best bet to do a FW dip and try to pluck them off? What else should I look for besides them?

Thanks,

Kim

 

[BigCrowd42]

Any fish in the tank

 

[Kim]

Oh yes there are. Sorry forgot to add the fish inhabitants.

There are:
1 firefish
1 goby
1 tiger pistol shrimp
1 cleaner shrimp
1 large hermit (I think its a left handed)
1 emerald crab (now in the sump)
2-3 snails

 

[super cook]

Could they be to close to the light or a power head and Are you feeding Them . One of the things I found as I cleaned up my tank is I now have to feed my zoo's They eat flake brine shrimp just about any thing they can grab .

 

[wrassefan]

I use to have a few hermits like to pick the superglue off my zoa frags. One day one fresh frag of zoas just floated into the rockwork. If they aren't dying off, then this could be something to look for.

 

[Kim]

They aren't floating off since I can see the polyp get smaller over a few days until its gone.

I haven't ruled out the nudis or snails yet. How small are these guys really?

I got pretty good eyes(I can see red bugs pretty easily if I am looking for them) but I know the nudis can take the color of the zoanthid but I still can't see anything when the polyps are closed.

I guess I will FW dip the zoanthids and see what I find.

 

[BigCrowd42]

Good Luck

 

[jango]

A polyp eating nudi's look like polyp's, also is there any type of sponge or fungus on the rock. One other thing it could be is spider's.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=319125